Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 254: The Demon Realm (3)

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

Taesan accepted, and Annetsha’s eyes lit up as she began to explain.

“As you’ve probably noticed while using it, dark magic is a power that summons the strength of demons.”

She waved her hand, and *Seir’s Black Wind* swirled into existence around her.

The dark wind gathered, condensing into the form of a bird. Annetsha extended her hand gently, and the wind-formed bird took flight as if it were alive, soaring through the air.

“Do you know what demons are?”

“I have a general idea.”

Taesan recalled what the ghost had told him. Demons were not as powerful as the Old Gods, but like them, they were born strong. Though they served beneath the Demon God, lending their power through dark magic, they were far from being obedient beings.

“Exactly. What we do is summon fragments of the power wielded by demons. The more demonic energy we consume, the stronger the magic becomes, but even that has its limits. Taesan, could you tell me one of the dark magic spells you possess?”

“*The Twisted Vegetation of Decarabia*.”

When Taesan named the spell, Annetsha’s eyes widened in admiration.

“The Twisted Vegetation… That’s a dark magic spell only a select few guardians of the Demon King’s castle possess. So you have it… Have you ever tried using it with the maximum amount of demonic energy?”

Taesan nodded. The Twisted Vegetation was one of the dark magic spells he used frequently.

“How did it perform?”

“It was decent.”

It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t extraordinary either. At his current level, he could still break through and destroy anything in his way without much difficulty.

“The fact that you say it was just ‘decent’ means you haven’t been using the full potential of dark magic. If used properly… even someone like you wouldn’t be able to block it easily.”

“Oh?”

Taesan’s eyes glimmered with interest.

If what she said was true, it meant the power could increase to absurd levels.

“How exactly does that work?”

“Dark magic is mostly summoning-based. We open a passage to call upon the power of demons. However, the passages we create are too weak and incomplete to fully summon their strength, so we only pull in fragments of their power.”

Now that she mentioned it, Taesan remembered something from the description of *The Twisted Vegetation*.

> *“Summons the vegetation controlled by Decarabia. Only fragments of the roots that devoured a star can be summoned.”*

Only fragments of the roots could be summoned. Taesan had thought it was just a matter of increasing his proficiency, but it seemed there was a more fundamental issue at play.

“So the idea is to strengthen the passage itself with demonic energy. If the passage is woven tightly and reinforced, we can summon power closer to the demon’s true strength.”

“Reinforce the passage itself?”

“Yes. It’s not as hard as it sounds.”

Annetsha waved her hand again, and the dark wind swirled into existence, more dense and potent than the version Taesan could create.

“Like this.”

Within the swirling wind, Taesan noticed intricate magical patterns formed by demonic energy.

“Try it. I’m sure you can do it.”

The concept of manipulating demonic energy was new to Taesan.

But as he focused, he realized something—he couldn’t do it.

“How do you control demonic energy?”

“What?”

Annetsha looked confused.

“But you’ve been using dark magic, haven’t you? You should know how it feels.”

“I don’t. I’ve just been consuming the energy and using it.”

“…You can *do* that?”

Annetsha looked bewildered. It seemed there was a fundamental difference between her and Taesan’s understanding of dark magic.

At that point, Quanid stepped in with a serious expression.

“I think some explanation is needed, Princess. He and I come from the labyrinth—a place created by gods. And that place operates under what’s called a *system*.”

“A system?”

“Yes. With the system, power is granted in the form of *skills.* Even if you don’t understand the principles behind the power, you can still use it. It’s like how I used that strange ability to chase away the beasts earlier.”

“That’s… incredible.”

Annetsha struggled to grasp the concept of using power without understanding it. Quanid turned to Taesan.

“I think it’ll be easier if I explain it directly. You can use magic, right?”

“Yeah.”

“With magic, you don’t need to fully understand it. The system in the labyrinth provides a pre-set way to use it. It’s the same with the skills you’ve been using.”

Both skills and magic had predetermined effects. The key was knowing the right timing to use them.

“But dark magic is different.”

Unlike regular magic, dark magic involved summoning demonic power through a passage. This meant you had to know how to construct the passage yourself.

And to do that, you needed to be able to control demonic energy perfectly.

With that understanding, Taesan closed his eyes and tried to sense the power deep within him.

He focused on observing his inner self to find the source of demonic energy.

But nothing came to him. While he could feel something deep within, he had no idea how to manipulate it.

When he explained this, Quanid scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“Maybe it’s because you’re human.”

It was like wings. Birds were born to fly with them, but if wings suddenly appeared on a human, they wouldn’t know how to use them.

Even if they somehow figured out the mechanics of flying, it wouldn’t change the fact that the human body wasn’t built for flight. The structure of the body would limit its ability to soar through the sky.

The same applied to demonic energy. It was something meant for demons. While Taesan could wield it through the labyrinth’s system, using it properly was an entirely different matter.

“I guess we’ll have to force the path open.”

The solution, then, was to adjust Taesan’s structure so he could manipulate demonic energy.

“Princess.”

“Mm. I’m not entirely sure, but let’s do it the same way we do with the children.”

Annetsha and Quanid approached Taesan and placed their hands on his back.

“What are you doing?”

“There are rare cases where some young demons are born unable to control demonic energy. When that happens, adults help guide the energy and forcibly open the blocked paths.”

Quanid spoke seriously.

“I don’t know how well it’ll work for a human, but it’s worth trying. Now, close your mouth and focus inward.”

Taesan closed his eyes.

Annetsha and Quanid began channeling their demonic energy into him.

*Boom!*

“Guh…”

“Mm…”

Their energy poured into Taesan, stirring within him and starting to descend toward the depths of his being.

It was a strange sensation, feeling another person’s energy moving inside him. The demonic energy swirled, probing deeper and deeper.

“Hmm?”

Both Annetsha and Quanid’s faces stiffened.

They sent their energy into Taesan, trying to forge a passage to the demonic energy within him.

Taesan’s various powers resided deep within his body, each occupying its own space.

And the demonic energy—among all his powers—lay in the deepest, most profound part of him.

As their energy ventured deeper, they became aware of just how vast Taesan’s power was.

Compared to the sheer enormity of it, their own energy felt like a tiny boat adrift in an endless ocean.

‘What is this…?’

Annetsha was stunned.

It was power beyond the realm of mortals.

Quanid bit his lip. Opening paths like this was usually a simple task. For someone like him, guiding thousands of young demons in a single day wouldn’t be an issue.

But Taesan’s energy was overwhelming.

Even creating a single path through this immense power was proving to be a struggle.

Both Annetsha and Quanid gritted their teeth and forced more energy into him. Meanwhile, Taesan focused on observing the demonic energy buried deep within him.

He could feel their energy, weak but persistent, trying to reach his core.

However, it wasn’t enough.

At this rate, their energy would dissipate before it could make contact with his own.

So Taesan decided to help.

The demonic energy clung to the depths of his being like a viscous liquid.

Taesan began stirring it gently, spreading ripples across its surface, like tapping the water with a spoon.

Bit by bit, the sticky energy loosened.

And then, with a sudden burst of force, Taesan struck it from within.

The demonic energy exploded upward, surging through him like a tidal wave.

“Ugh!”

Annetsha instinctively flinched, almost retreating from the overwhelming force, but she managed to hold her ground and remain connected to the energy.

A faint but solid path had been established.

—

**[Your proficiency in Dark Magic has increased by 1%.]**
**[You have obtained the skill: Passage Creation.]**

—

Both Annetsha and Quanid staggered back, panting.

“Ugh…”

Quanid coughed, spitting out blood. Annetsha’s face was pale, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

“Are you okay?”

“Barely.”

Annetsha gave a weak, wry smile.

“Taesan… you really are a monster.”

Feeling a little guilty for pushing them so hard, Taesan handed them health potions.

“Oh, these bring back memories.”

Quanid gratefully drank the potion, and some color returned to his face.

—

**[You activate the Realm of Regeneration.]**

—

“Take a break. I’ll handle the carriage.”

Now that he understood how to manipulate demonic energy, Taesan placed his hand on the side of the carriage and channeled his power into it.

The carriage began moving smoothly and swiftly along the road.

As they traveled, Taesan opened his skill menu to review his progress.

—

**[Dark Magic]**
**Proficiency: 40%**
**Description: Allows the use of the Demon God’s magic. Consumes demonic energy to cast dark magic. The effectiveness increases based on the amount of energy consumed. Mastery unlocks the true potential of dark magic.**

—

Reaching 40% proficiency seemed to require successfully opening a path to demonic energy.

Along with this breakthrough, Taesan also acquired a new support skill.

—

**[Passage Creation]**
**Proficiency: 1%**
**Description: Constructs a passage to channel demonic power. Currently, the passage is incomplete and unstable.**

—

Taesan immediately tested the new skill.

*Woom.*

Demonic energy gathered above his hand, a sensation completely distinct from mana.

He recalled how Annetsha manipulated the energy and followed her method to create a passage.

An ominous sensation drifted from beyond the passage.

Something was watching him.

And then, a surge of demonic power poured through the passage.

—

**[You activate Decarabia’s Twisted Vegetation.]**

—

*Rumble!*

The roots of Decarabia erupted from the ground. Normally, they spread out like vines, entangling everything in sight.

But this time, a single massive root shot upward.

It was as if a colossal root, lodged deep within a planet, had forced its way to the surface.

Annetsha gasped.

“W-What? It’s this big?”

She had seen other demons use Decarabia’s Twisted Vegetation before. Even those capable of creating passages couldn’t summon anything remotely close to what Taesan had just summoned.

“This might not be a fragment… This might be the core root itself.”

Taesan touched the massive root.

It was solid—dense and durable beyond anything he had encountered before.

“Not bad.”

He smiled.

The power he had unlocked was formidable.

In terms of sheer strength, it was on par with intermediate magic, if not beyond. However, the drawbacks were also clear.

“The energy consumption is higher than I expected.”

Creating the passage consumed a significant amount of demonic energy. After just two uses of dark magic, most of his energy was already depleted.

‘And the casting time is too long.’

It took time to create the passage. Whether it was due to his lack of familiarity or an inherent delay, using the skill in the heat of battle would be challenging.

Moreover, maintaining the concentration required to construct the passage was no easy feat. For most people, it would be nearly impossible to use mid-combat.

But for Taesan, it wasn’t a problem.

—

**[Passive Skill: Mental Separation]**
**Proficiency: 4%**
**Description: Allows you to observe, act, and think about multiple things simultaneously. The number of concurrent processes is currently limited.**

—

Thanks to *Mental Separation*, Taesan could construct passages even while engaged in other tasks.

However, even this skill had its limits. In the middle of life-and-death combat, maintaining the focus needed to create a passage might not always be feasible.

‘And then there’s…’

He recalled the gaze that had locked onto him the moment he opened the passage.

It was undoubtedly the gaze of a demon. Up until now, Taesan had only summoned fragments of their power, but with this new skill, he was now channeling their full strength.

The demons were beginning to take notice of him.

Though they were subordinates of the Demon God, the ghost had warned him—they weren’t docile beings. Drawing their attention was never a good thing.

Still, the potential benefits far outweighed the risks. Taesan couldn’t help but wonder how much stronger *Marbas’s Pitch-black Wave* would become under these new conditions.

After their meal and some rest, Taesan continued practicing *Passage Creation*. While his energy depleted quickly, the rapid recovery rate in the Demon Realm allowed him to practice without interruption.

“I should’ve taught him later…”

Annetsha muttered, feeling a bit regretful that she hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to Taesan much.

Quanid gave her a teasing look.

“Why not just go up and talk to him?”

“No! That would interrupt him.”

“You really are troublesome, Princess.”

“Shut up.”

The carriage continued its steady journey.

And soon, they arrived at the Demon King’s castle.